Everyone in Hennessey is familiar with our Hennessey Eagles. But not many are aware of the other Hennessey Eagles. Hennessey is home to several pairs of American Bald Eagles living on the town’s fridges. For the past 5 years or so there have been many sightings of American Bald Eagles near Hennessey. The large birds are new to the state, as little as 30 years ago there were no eagles in Oklahoma.
In 1978, eagles were formally listed as an endangered species in all 48 contiguous states in the United States. At the lowest point, only 417 breeding pairs of eagles were known to exist in the country.
1984 There were no known eagles in Oklahoma when the non-profit Sutton Avian Research Center opened in Bartlesville. The Research Center brought eagle eggs from Florida, raised them here in Oklahoma, and then released the young birds in the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. Today, there are 249 documented eagle nests in the state. Many of these birds stay year-round and return to raise their young.
Hennessey landowners with eagle nests are very protective of their eagle families so we are not specifying exactly where the nests are located. The family of eagles All About Hennessey photographed appeared to have 3 eaglets in the nest along with their parents. When we were there it appeared that the young were not yet flying. One of the parents always stayed in the nest while the other flew off hunting for food. Photos by Jack Quirk.
